Ravens and Steelers Will Play Tuesday
The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers Week 12 matchup has been moved again, again.
With at least 12 players on the Ravens, including the NFL’s reigning-MVP Lamar Jackson, having tested positive for COVID-19, the AFC North matchup has been moved to Tuesday at 8 pm ET/5 PT. Robert Griffin III will start in Jackson’s place against Pittsburgh.
The game was originally moved from Thanksgiving Day to this coming Sunday after multiple Baltimore players tested positive earlier this week.
The Ravens were supposed to play the Dallas Cowboys next Thursday, but that game has now been moved to Monday, Dec. 7.
So many moving parts, but that’s how 2020 goes.
Who Run the World? Girls.
Let’s make history this weekend, shall we?
Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller, who was a goalkeeper on the school’s SEC championship soccer team, will be in uniform for tomorrow’s game against Missouri. Should she play, Fuller will be the first female to play in a Power 5 football game.
Her helmet will feature a sticker that says, “Play Like a Girl,” and I, for one, hope that she does.
#LFG
AFC South Football, Baby
We’ve got a Week 12 battle for the AFC South on Sunday, as the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans face each other for the first time since *checks notes* Week 10. The Colts won that one, and with both teams coming off Week 11 wins, they each come into the game with a 7-3 record.
For the Titans, the key to victory continues to be running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 133 yards on 28 carries last week and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. In Week 10, he carried the ball only 19 times. Feed Derrick. Win games…or at least have a better chance to win games.
For the Colts, QB Philip Rivers is having a November to remember with seven touchdowns and a passer rating of 97.7. He’s also only thrown two interceptions all month. That being said, the Colts need to clean up the penalties. They had eight of them for 116 yards in Week 11, several of which came towards the end of the fourth-quarter and could have cost them the game. But Packers’ overtime fumble let them off the hook. That probably won’t happen twice.
Mahomes vs. Brady, Part 4
It’s the GOAT vs. the potential future GOAT, when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It will be the fourth time the QBs face each other, with Brady leading the matchups 2-1.
The Buccaneers are 7-4 and fighting for a playoff spot. Both teams can put points on the board, with Kansas City averaging 32.1 per game and Tampa Bay averaging 29.1. That being said, the Buccaneers’ offense has been inconsistent and has been struggling to get the ball downfield. The Chiefs’ pass rush has not been great this season, and has given up 31 points in its last two games and 40 points in the Chiefs one loss.
In other words, it’s going to come down to the quarterbacks. Can Brady carve up that defense? Can the defense pressure him? Can Mahomes come up with that Mahomes magic against a Tampa Bay defense that has also struggled with consistency? The answer to this last one is most likely yes. Advantage: Kansas City.
Cowboys’ Strength and Conditioning Coach Markus Paul Passes Away
Dallas Cowboys’ strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul passed away on Wednesday night, after collapsing at the Cowboys’ practice facility on Tuesday morning.
Paul, who was 54 years-old, had been in the league for 22 years and with Dallas for the last three. He has had a hand in five Super Bowl victories, three with the New England Patriots and two with the New York Giants.
“The loss of a family member is a tragedy, and Markus Paul was a loved and valued member of our family,” Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. “He was a pleasant and calming influence in our strength room and throughout The Star. His passion for his work and his enthusiasm for life earned him great respect and admiration from all of our players and the entire organization. We offer our love and support to his family in this very difficult time. Our hearts are broken for his family and all of the individuals whose lives he touched and made better.”
Our thoughts are with Paul’s family, friends and all who knew him. RIP.